The incongruity is striking. Baseball GMs are bracing for a financial hit given the turbulent economy while they talk under chandeliers and stand on marble floors. Anyway….

These meetings are starting to create a buzz, with more interest and trade fits beginning to emerge. Also before I forget, I will post quick hits from GM Dan O’Dowd’s media session this afternoon. That will appear around 5:30 MST time. Onward:

–Matt Holliday, barring a dramatic reversal, will be traded this winter. General manager Dan O’Dowd made it clear Tuesday that he’s not afraid to play kids or unproven players when I asked him about starting Ian Stewart, Seth Smith and Ryan Spilborghs in the same lineup. Holliday should fetch a big return, but there’s no perfect deal out there. The Rockies want pitching which is why they have spoken with the Rays, who could part with Edwin Jackson or Andy Sonnanstine. Carl Crawford’s name has also surfaced as someone the Rays might be willing to give up for Holliday.

–Garrett Atkins is among the players not working out in Denver anymore. He’s returned to the performance institute in Southern California, where he had trained before. He began his offseason regiment this week and is working out with Milton Bradley, among others. Good friend Chase Utley will be joining the group soon.

–White Sox GM Ken Williams painted an optimistic picture of Jayson Nix this week. He said that Nix will have a chance to compete for the team’s second-base job, calling him a “grinder.’’ Nix was the Rockies’ opening-day second baseman last season. The White Sox are familiar with Nix because they saw him frequently in spring training games in Tucson. The White Sox want to get younger and more athletic which is why Willy Taveras makes a lot of sense there. Williams values speed as much as any GM.

–Agents who have met with the Yankees confirm that the Bombers are prioritizing all the big fish – CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe, Mark Teixeira. The team hasn’t won a title since 2000, and fans paying more than $2,000 a game for seats behind home plate in the new ballpark aren’t going to go for an infusion of prospects. That’s why the Rockies are monitoring the availability of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. Hughes is considered a super prospect. Kennedy, a former high school teammate of Ian Stewart’s, is seen as a back-of-the-rotation starter at this point.

Footnotes
Predictions: Both Jake Peavy and Khalil Greene will be traded. …. Pat Burrell lands in San Francisco with good buddy Aaron Rowand. … The Mets sign Brian Fuentes this winter.

I wouldn’t mind Phil Hughes, but Ian Kennedy? Sorry, that kid is garbage. Phil Hughes has the stuff to succeed here, though. I know that you’re closer to the team, Troy, but wouldn’t Holliday for Bay and Buchholz seem like it’d make more sense? Jason Bay can put up similar numbers to Matt Holliday, and we already know that he doesn’t mind playing for a team that isn’t known as a contender, as he did sign long-term with the Pittsburgh Pirates of all teams. It just seems like that makes more sense than a deal with the Yankees.

Will

I wouldn’t mind Phil Hughes, but Ian Kennedy? Sorry, that kid is garbage. Phil Hughes has the stuff to succeed here, though. I know that you’re closer to the team, Troy, but wouldn’t Holliday for Bay and Buchholz seem like it’d make more sense? Jason Bay can put up similar numbers to Matt Holliday, and we already know that he doesn’t mind playing for a team that isn’t known as a contender, as he did sign long-term with the Pittsburgh Pirates of all teams. It just seems like that makes more sense than a deal with the Yankees.

Will

By the way, thanks for keeping us informed during the offseason, Troy. Believe it or not, there is at least one die-hard Rockies fan remaining. Keep it up, my man.

What’s the latest on the coaching search, anything? I’m expecting that Willy Randolph lands here, since he and Hurdle seem to have a good relationship.

Will

By the way, thanks for keeping us informed during the offseason, Troy. Believe it or not, there is at least one die-hard Rockies fan remaining. Keep it up, my man.

What’s the latest on the coaching search, anything? I’m expecting that Willy Randolph lands here, since he and Hurdle seem to have a good relationship.

If Bay would put up similar numbers as Holliday, then why would the Red Sox throw in Clay Bucholtz, one of the best young pitchers in baseball? In fact, why would they trade Bay at all if all they got was the same production in Holliday?

And Ian Kennedy is far from “garbage”. He’s a former first round pick with great command of 4 pitches. He went from A ball to the big leagues in one year (2007), and the Yankees expected too much from him this past year. But he’s still 23 years old and loaded with potential. You’d be an absolute fool to write him off now.

Ken H.

If Bay would put up similar numbers as Holliday, then why would the Red Sox throw in Clay Bucholtz, one of the best young pitchers in baseball? In fact, why would they trade Bay at all if all they got was the same production in Holliday?

And Ian Kennedy is far from “garbage”. He’s a former first round pick with great command of 4 pitches. He went from A ball to the big leagues in one year (2007), and the Yankees expected too much from him this past year. But he’s still 23 years old and loaded with potential. You’d be an absolute fool to write him off now.

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.